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Friday, May 27, 2011

I am an idiot, a crispy french fried idiot. As a matter of fact, I can’t believe I’m about to tell you all the really insanely stupid thing I recently did, but in the hopes it’ll serve as a gentle reminder to those of you out there who also happen to teeter on the edge of less then brilliant from time to time, I figured I’d go ahead. Maybe save some other poor soul the same fate.

The weather around these parts has been much more late fallish then springish lately cold, dreary, and wet which of course means only one thing. I’ve got a house brimming over with stir crazy kids. So I’m sure you can imagine that when the sun finally decided to show it’s lovely face this past weekend, I was ALL about that.

First, we headed to the green house to pick up some annuals for planting, followed by a little ice cream on the way home (of course!). Then while Tiger took her nap, the Little Miss and I got to planting while my mom (GOD BLESS HER!) graciously took on some weeding. (And by the Little Miss planting what I really mean is looking for “ground creatures” to put in her “worm pie.” You know, the one that “we’re not REALLY going to eat Mommy, we’re just going to PRETEND to eat it.” So glad she clarified.)

Somewhere mid-first flat planting as the temps were pushing 90, I realized that without a cloud in the sky, I was baking, baking like a toasted cheeser. It was not good. Not good at all. But did I stop planting? Well, no. Certainly not. I had flowers to get in the ground man and with no telling how long the weather would hold out, I was not about to quit until every last one of them were in the ground (good thing considering it has stormed all week since).

So yeah. I got FRIED. FRIED I tell you! My back was beat red. Burnt on Sunday and it wasn’t until yesterday that the nice shade of red finally began to soften. It was the kind of burn that itches and as much as you know scratching it is the very last thing you SHOULD do, you do it anyway. And it FRIGGIN’ HURTS!

But here’s the best part, as I’m dripping sweat working hard knowing full well I’m going to wind up with a nasty sun burn and desperately wishing that I had bought some sun block the last time I was at the store, I forgot one very important thing. Sitting in my car was a little box sent to me from the good people over at Scape. A box of what? Only some of the best sunscreen on the market which I remembered oh about the time I went in the house to wash up for dinner. DOH! So basically on the very first day of sunshine for the year I got fried for no apparent reason whatsoever.

So don’t be like me. Don’t just get your sunscreen, but when you’re going to spend some time outdoors (like on a long run **hint hint**), also actually put it on and save yourself a world of hurt. And if your going to be sweating, you may want to check out Scape. I’d sing their glorious praises about being designed by an athlete for athletes and the serious science that went into these product, but since I already did that in a review right here I’ll let you just click on over to read all about it again.

Although I will say that this time, they also sent me a face stick to try out which I hadn’t before. It’s basically, for lack of a better analogy, like a stick of deodorant but for sunscreen. It goes on really smooth with no funky sunblocky smell, and it stays on, even when you’re dripping sweat. Plus, it comes in a handy dandy little container that’d be easy to slip in your purse or diaper bag and who doesn’t love that?

Lastly, Morgan over at Scape mentioned we could do a giveaway if you all are interested. So…interested?

P.S. Just in case you haven’t heard yet and you’ve been looking for a way to help out the people of Joplin where that batch of tornadoes recently did so much destruction, check out what the planning team of the Boomtown 1/2 Marathon are doing. The 1/2 mary was scheduled to be run in Joplin in a couple weeks, but now instead they’re doing this. EXACTLY why I love runners!

P.P.S. Wait ‘til you all hear about these recurring running dreams I’ve been having! Get ready to put your arm chair psychologist caps on (what? “arm chair psychologist cap” that’s a real thing right? Oh no, arm chair quaterback. Whoops! Oh well, I like it. We’re going with it. It fits in with the absurdity of the dreams.) Stay tuned…

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

I’m sitting here staring out my window at a gorgeous sunny spring day (or at least I was when I started writing this earlier today. It’s now pitch black out, but hey, whatever). Just the exact kind of day that makes people go, "Ahhhh...I think I'll start running." (Yes, yes, there are people who randomly pick up and start running because of the spring weather. In fact, you've probably seem them barely plodding along on the side of the road, their ratty old sweat pants drenched in sweat wearing a pair of shoes that may or may not be recognizable as having at one time been an actual pair of running shoes, gasping for breath and looking for the shortest route home.)

Let's not mix words here. Running can be hard even for the seasoned pro. Taking up running for the first time in a long time can be really REALLY hard. Stupid hard. The kind of hard that makes you take those barely recognizable running shoes and toss them straight back into the back of your closet with the vow never to wear them again kind of hard. But here's the good news: It doesn't have to be. So let me spare you the stupid hard and give you a few pointers to make running less hard and maybe even a little bit fun, because we all know, the results are worth it.

1) While we’re on the topic, do not go running in your barely recognizable running shoes. Or some random pair that sort of look like an athletic shoe. Running shoes are made for running. Other shoes are made for, well, other things. Does it make a difference? Does riding a wild bull bareback for the first time in a rodeo hurt? I have no idea, but I’m going with yes. If what first pops into your head when you pick up your shoes is, “these are probably ok.” The answer is no. They are probably not. Soles wear out before treads and unless you can specifically remember what all exactly you’ve been doing in that shoe, it’s a safer bet to opt for a new pair.

Go to a running specialty shop and have a pro take a look at your feet to help you determine what type (yes, there are types) of running shoe will work best for you. If you prefer to join the ranks of the barefoot runners and run sans shoes, go for it. Go with what the good Lord gave you or go with science, but do not by any means go with something you are not entirely sure about, unless you’re just begging for some pain and/or an injury. Then by all means, my friend, I think I’ve even got some flip flops you can borrow.

2) Do not start without a plan. You can if you want, but I give you…oh, about a week…max. Inevitably, life (or that really comfy couch) just gets in the way. Sit down. Decide what you want to do. Come up with a goal and then write down how you’re going to get there. You’re goal could be any number of things: to run a race, a particular distance, shed a particular number of pounds, but make it specific so that you know when you’ve reached it (and can celebrate! Always reward yourself, at least in a little way, when you hit your goals.) and you can you can determine the path to get there. “I’m going to run a few days a week,” is good, but it’s pretty general, whereas “I’m going to run a 5K in 3 months,” is a much more specific goal that you can lay out a game plan for.

3.) Do not start running immediately following childbirth. I know you may want to and it’s hard to resist, but do. Even if you were one of the lucky ones who gave birth just as quick and easy as my 2 year old creates colorful masterpieces on my living room walls (yep, she did), with barely a stitch or two to show for it, you still may want to hold off. Your body’s been through a lot over the last nine months or so and like a hard workout, that takes some time to recover from. PLUS, let’s not forget you’ll have a newborn in the house which equates to a massive lack of sleep. You may at first want to take the available time you do have and hit the hay not the pavement. Don’t feel guilty if you find you need to take a week (or more) to get used to things before you get back to it.

If you do happen to be one of the few, the proud, the 4% who have some seriously nice wounds following childbirth (such as moi), I’d not even think about running for awhile. Hide the shoes if you must. Even when you think you’re good to go, wait a little longer or you might find all those wounds re-opening in a way that’s more painful than they were when you originally scored them. (I. Am. Not. Kidding.) And besides being painful, it’s nearly devastating, and will set you all the way back to the “I’ll never be myself again. EVER." stage of postpartum at a point when you nearly thought you WERE yourself again (you’ll get there mama. I promise.) The more severe the tearing, the longer I’d hold off. The 6 week post partum visit with your OBGYN sounds about right.

4) Do not assume you are the same super fit speedster you were in high school, college, pre-baby, or whenever you last donned some kicks. Sadly, you are not. Chances are you are far from it. Plan accordingly. Plan conservatively. If you think you could probably run a mile ok, then start with a 1/2 mile sandwiched in between some walking. Set yourself up to win rather than have a miserable run, thus most likely making it your last run. You can always bump up the mileage on a subsequent run or run on a little when you’ve finished if you’re still feeling good. However, if you set the bar too high for yourself, and you run out farther than you are actually capable of, you’ve got no choice. You are dragging your sorry defeated butt all the way back home (unless you take your cell phone with you and can call in the cavalry to come pick you up, which is not a bad idea either. I always run with a phone. You never know what can happen).

Keep in mind too, that the effects of that first run might not kick in until the next day at which point you’ll
know if you pushed yourself more than you should have for run numero uno because you’ll be walking around as if you were one of those 4% of women I mentioned above and the word “Ow” will be coming out of your mouth on a somewhat frequent basis, particularly if you live in a home with stairs.

Same goes for pace as well as distance. General rule of thumb, run those first few runs at a pace you could hold a conversation at, quite possibly being a pace just barely above a walk. In fact, run/walking is a FANTASTIC option, that I highly recommend to new runners. It’s a great way to build endurance and mileage safely while at the same time giving you a longer initial workout than a new runner would likely be able to complete. There’s no shame in walking. There are plenty of veteran runners who use a run/walk combo for ALL of their runs, even competing in marathons with that strategy. In fact, my OBGYN qualified for the Boston Marathon on his very first marathon attempt and he ran/walked the whole thing! (run/walk intervals of 10:1 for those of you who must know).

But the #1 Cardinal Rule of Running is this: Too much too soon is too much. Never forget it! That goes for pace. That goes for distance. That even goes for types of terrain. Doing too much before your body is physically ready to handle it will at best lead to decreased performance and at worst, injury. Not good. So ease yourself into running sloooooooooooowly.

5.) Don’t make it harder than it has to be. Running 5,6,7 days a week is quite an accomplishment. But for the new runner, usually, it’s just too much (don’t make me repeat that cardinal rule. I will if you force me.) Not only can it lead to injury, it can lead to burnout big time. I have rarely never met a person who decided to take up running and successfully ran 7 days a week, although I have known some who’ve tried. Are these athletic phenoms out there? Sure. But for the average Jane Doe wanna become a runner, it’s more likely that they’ll continue running if they start somewhere in between 3 and 5 days(maybe even only 1 or 2 if they’re actively engaged in some other form of cross training).

Why? I have no real scientific data to back me up on this, but I would venture to guess it’s because people need a little break every once in awhile, both mentally and physically. It’s ok to take a night off and chill out on the couch watching your favorite shows or spend an extra hour in the morning in bed. And like I said earlier, sometimes life just gets in the way: a sick kiddo, a surprise guest from out of town, a late night at work. And when life comes at you, sometimes you’ve got to take the time to handle it and running can’t always be a part of that. Give yourself a little bit of flexibility when you first start and your commitment is most vulnerable. Once you’ve consistently made running a part of your weekly routine and you're pretty well sold out, THEN add in another day or two. It’ll be more likely to stick.

6.) Don’t be afraid to run outside or at a gym or track or any other place where other humans might lay eyes on you. Because guess what? We’ve all been that newbie runner at some point or another. Quite frankly, when I see that guy running that I described to you in the intro as I drive along, it takes every ounce of self control I have to not roll down my window and cheer him along. Runners, for the most part, are a very supportive group. Sure we’ve got our snobs here and there, but they’re few and far between. The majority of runners out there are always excited to welcome a new runner to the ranks and more than willing to offer some encouragement. So even though you may not feel like a rock star runner out there on your first run and you may not hear your adoring fans cheering out loud, rest assured my friend, we ARE cheering as we pass you by, (we just don’t want to scare you with our car horn or outrageous howling). Furthermore, I guarantee, as you run along thinking everybody’s making fun of you, somebody is out there being inspired by you. They’re thinking, “you know what, if she can run, I can run too.” Running is contagious. BIG TIME.

7.) Don’t run with your super fit cousin. At least not on your first run. Or at least not without warning her that you are a brand new runner and you expect to be running a really easy pace. Otherwise you may find it ridiculously annoying to be sucking wind after a few minutes while she’s talking about it being such a nice day and perhaps you guys should consider running a little farther than originally planned. (Um…no?)

It’s awesome to have a running partner. They can make the time on a run fly by. It is not awesome to have a running partner that ends your run far sooner than you intended because you attempted to keep up with them and just couldn’t…yet. Yes, runners love new runners. And a friend or family member who’s already a runner would probably LOVE to go out for a run with you, but you’ve got to be upfront and honest with them too so they know where you’re at. Surely, they want you to succeed, but they can’t help you do that unless you let them. And running faster or farther than you are capable of to try to keep up with someone who’s got more experience than you = not succeeding.

8.) Don’t tell the negative ninny’s in your life you’re running right away. They must be addressed, even though I dread giving them the space in this post. Everybody’s got ‘em. You know who I’m talking about. You could have just won the Noble Prize, found the cure for cancer, broke the world record for the marathon, it wouldn’t matter. These people would find something to try to take the wind out of your sails. It’s like they thrive on it. Don’t even give them a chance. In a few months when they’re asking you how you lost so much weight or how you have so much energy, then you can spill it. That way when they start dumping all their negativity out on you, you can secretly remind yourself that they were just moments earlier basically paying you a compliment (their funny little way of saying “you’ve lost weight!” or “you’re so energetic!'”), a compliment that you earned via the very method they’re trying to tear down, running. So you smile, nod, and go run some more.

9.) DO NOT EVER GIVE UP! ALL runners have ups and downs, good runs and bad runs. ALL OF US. So don’t beat yourself up if you happen to find yourself in the middle of a not so good run. It happens. You shake it off and run another day. The benefits of running far outweigh any bad run you’ll ever have…but only if you don’t give up.

P.S. I’m happy to announce RunSis had her baby yesterday! A baby girl, 6lbs 13oz and the most beautiful little head of jet black hair. She’s absolutely a doll! YAY RunSis!

RunNana-My mom, a junior high teacher, and breast cancer survivor who started running when she was 54. You'll meet her in the comments. She reads every single post I write. Probably to make sure I stay out of trouble.

Mobile Mile Marker, Mighty Mole Man, Papa- My dad, who last year rode his bicycle 100 miles (at once) to see if he could, but's also gracious enough to lolligag around with me oh his bike, mark the miles and chase the pervs away on my long runs

RunSis- The one & only, my little sis. Marathoner in the making & the mom I hope to one day grow up to be